McLaren-Mercedes

Problems in the early part of 2009 ensured back-to-back titles would not be possible, but by signing Jenson Button for 2010 the team gets to race with #1 on its car anyway.

Pairing the two most recent world champions together sends an emphatic message about the team's intentions, and all the signs are that its downgrading from Mercedes works team to 'privileged customer' will have little, if any, impact on performance.

McLaren occasionally builds a bad car but it rarely does so twice in a row, and it will fancy its chances for more glory this year.